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Washington is first state to sue Trump over immigration order

Attorney General Bob Ferguson to Donald Trump: "In a courtroom it is not the loudest voice that prevails. It is the Constitution."

Attorney General Bob Ferguson to Donald Trump: "In a courtroom it is not the loudest voice that prevails. It is the Constitution."

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Taking on the Trump executive order on immigration, Gov. Jay Inslee (l) and Attorney General Bob Ferguson (r).

Taking on the Trump executive order on immigration, Gov. Jay Inslee (l) and Attorney General Bob Ferguson (r).

Photo: Rachel La Corte, AP

Washington is first state to sue Trump over immigration order

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Washington is becoming the first state to sue President Trump and his administration over the President's executive order to restrict entry into the United States from seven countries with predominantly Muslim populations.

The federal court suit, backed by declarations from Amazon and Expedia on how it will harm business, will be filed in federal court in Seattle later Monday.

"In a courtroom, it is not the loudest voice that prevails, it is the Constitution," Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in announcing the suit.

The AG was accompanied by Gov. Jay Inslee.

The governor unleashed a tsunami of Inslee hyperbole against the Trump executive order. He described it as "cruel," said that it is "discriminatory against one faith among all God's children," and argued that the message on the Statue of Liberty "shines as bright out in Elliott Bay" as it does in New York.

"This is an insult and a danger to all people of all faiths in the state of Washington," said Inslee.

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The state's complaint against Trump argues that the President's actions are "separating Washington families , harming thousands of Washington residents, damaging Washington's economy, hurting Washington-based companies, and undermining Washington's sovereign interest in remaining a welcoming place for immigrants and refugees."

The case against Trump will have three constitutional legs.

Ferguson is argung that the Executive Order violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of Equal Protection and the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, infringes individuals' constitutional right to Due Process, and contravenes the federal Immigration and Nationality Act.

.The Executive Order has caused chaos at airports, produced different enforcement at different locations, and sent thousands of demonstrators into the streets. Trump has blamed airport congestion on the "Delta computer outage." One administration official has argued on TV that enforcement has gone "swimmingly."

"If this is going 'swimmingly,' I would hate to see what is not going well," said Ferguson.

The governor noted the absence of support for Trump's order from Republicans in Congress. "The silence from Republican leaders is deafening and the criticism has been enlightening," said Inslee. He was referring to criticism from Sens. John McCain and Lindsay Graham.

Inslee returned, again and again, to the religious discrimination in Trump's order: The President is giving priority to Syrian Christians seeking to enter the United States. "This is clearly religious because it gives priority to one religion over another," he added.

The Attorney General's office worked through the weekend to prepare the suit, in Ferguson's words, because: "Every day matters, every hour matters."

The state will ask for a temporary restraining order to halt enforcement of the executive order across the country.

Amazon and Expedia were brought in because, said Ferguson, the order threatens "real economic harm to Washington state from the President's illegal action." The state's technology industries have a workforce that spans the globe.

How soon does the state hope for action on its request for a restraining order? "Immediately," said Ferguson.